Even From Themselves
by SilverInkblot
Summary: Their first meeting goes a little differently.


"This is the reality all heroes have to deal with. Even me." He lets the shirt drop, covering the spiderweb of scar tissue like a curtain.

"It's good to have dreams, but part of being a hero is knowing where your limits are – and how far you can push yourself past them."

Izuku's eyes water, but he doesn't look away, held in place by the intensity of the man in front of him. All Might is serious, grave even, but not unkind. He chokes back a sob and hurriedly wipes at his eyes. His idol, his hero, is telling him no. As gently as he possibly can, but it hurts all the same.

"But," All Might grunts as he presses his hands on his knees, lifting himself to his feet.

"That's not what you asked, is it?"

The boy blinks in confusion. All Might is smiling at him. Not his usual smile – this one is softer, warmer than the one he's familiar with and for the first time Izuku realizes how rigid that version is as he observes the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, the spark hidden under his shaded brow. All Might is upon him in two strides, long legs bending as he drops to one knee and clasps the trembling boy by the shoulders. Even kneeling like this, All Might is still as tall as him, and being at eye level with a legend leaves Izuku breathless.

"You asked if you could ever be someone like me," his large hands are heavy on the boys shoulders.

'My boy, you don't need a Quirk to do good. You don't need a hero license to do the right thing. You don't need my approval to be brave or strong or smart." His voice is deep and gentle and the words rush over him like a rising tide. All Might squeezes his shoulders.

"I can't encourage you down the path of heroics. I'm sorry."

The genuine kindness and sorrow in his voice doesn't lessen the sting, but Izuku is grateful for it all the same. He squeezes his eyes shut and lets the tears fall as the sob he's been choking back finally bursts. He cries for the dream crumbling around him, for the future that will never be. He cries like he's four years old again, sitting in the computer chair the first time his heart broke. All Might's hands fall from his shoulders and he doesn't notice until a hand curls around the back of his head and pulls him forward.

He doesn't lean so much as fall into All Might, knees buckling as the man catches him with one arm. Some distant corner of his mind registers that All Might is _hugging_ him, but he doesn't have the emotional capacity for shock right now. He buries has face into the scrawny chest before him and sobs. All Might lets him cry, gently rubbing his back. His sobs gradually turn into hiccups before ceasing altogether, but he doesn't raise his head yet, taking deep breaths against All Might's collarbone.

"I'm sorry, my boy," he cards his fingers through his curly hair. "But the essence of heroism is about protecting people." Izuku feels the arm looped around his back grip tighter. "Even from themselves sometimes."

Something in his tone make him open his eyes; there's sorrow and regret and a thread of something he isn't sure about. Izuku raises his head to find the man looking back at him with an expression he never wants to see again and he ducks his head. The unidentified thread has a name now.

Guilt.

Guilt for something that isn't even his fault, isn't anyone's fault. Guilt for something that couldn't be helped. All Might looks at him like… like….

The laugh bubbles up from somewhere in his chest and comes out more like a wheeze. It shakes his body and he can sense the worry in All Might spike.

"You – you really are the greatest hero."

"I – I'm sorry?" The confusion in his voice makes him laugh again, properly this time.

"You – you were..." he fights to get his voice under control, still raw with emotional fallout.

"You expected me to hate you, didn't you? For telling me the truth. For protecting me." Izuku clutches at his heart, slouched in on himself as though bracing for a blow.

"You hated having to say that to me. But you did it anyway," his eyes prickle yet again. All Might rests a hesitant hand on his head.

"Yes."

Izuku swallows hard, painfully.

"Because it was the right thing to do."

'It would be," All Might hesitates, searching for the right word. "Irresponsible of me, to have said otherwise." The hand gently ruffles his curls.

"I _am_ sorry, my boy. Truly."

Izuku sniffs. "S'okay. It's not your fault."

The hand in his hair stills, then falls to his chin, forcing him to look up. He meets All Might's intense stare with his own watery one.

"It's not your fault either."

All Might holds him there a moment, letting his words sink in before his arm falls away. Izuku lets his head drop once more and lands on All Might's collarbone as the man once more wraps him up in long arms. He feels like he's been scraped hollow and it hurts, but it's also a relief in a way. For the first time in his life, he isn't carrying the weight of his sorrow alone. His arms move of their own volition and he hugs All Might back, gripping his shirt like a lifeline, and breathes.

The long minutes on the rooftop stretch by, but All Might doesn't let him go. Izuku doesn't know how long it's been when his hands finally loosen their grip and fall away to wipe at his eyes once more. All Might lets him pull away, but keeps one hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," Izuku sniffs. "Sorry about… all this." He gestures helplessly at himself. All Might rises to his feet.

"It's all right, my boy," he ruffles his hair one more time and pats him on the back. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah." Izuku looks up to the man haloed by the sun.

"Yeah, I'm all right."

He knows it's true. Even as they part ways at the bottom of the stairs, Izuku knows he's going to be okay. When the explosion hits, his feet turn without any prompting and he runs, grabbing his notebook, ready to analyze the fight. Everything's going to be fine.

Because All Might was there.


End file.
